AMSU, MUSU host discourse on NRC
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 04 2026:
An intellectual exchange programme under the banner "Updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC): Collective Mobilization and Demographic Governance in Manipur" was held today at Manipur University under the aegis of All Manipur Students' Union (AMSU) and Manipur University Students' Union (MUSU) .
AMSU president Bruce Pebam, MUSU president Nongpokngahba Yambem, eminent demographer Prof RK Narendra, HoD, Law MU Dr Yumnam Premananda and India Today NE correspondent Naorem Mohen attended the inaugural session as presidium members.
Speaking to the media, Bruce Pebam said that the programme was organised to articulate an academic discourse on the growing demographic challenge posed by illegal immigrants and the people's collective demand for updating the NRC.
AMSU and AMSCOC signed an agreement with the Government on the issue in 1980 .
Again, another similar agreement was signed in 1994 but none of these agreements has been translated into action till date, the AMSU president said.
He said that the outputs received from the intellectual exchange programme would be articulated in the form of recommendations and submitted to the Union Home Minister, the Governor and the Chief Minister.
Speaking at the intellectual exchange programme moderated by former PTI correspondent Dr Kh Gourashyam, Prof RK Narendra remarked that the State Government's plan to organise a seminar on NRC is a positive step but this cannot be the end.
The Government should constitute an expert committee to make a detailed and in-depth study on how NRC can be updated with respect to Manipur, and also the documents necessary for the same exercise.
After a detailed and in-depth study, the committee should submit practical recommendations to the Government, Prof Narendra said.
In place of the expert committee, the Manipur State Population Commission may be empowered and made operational by incorporating experts from relevant fields.
The task of studying the requirements of updating the NRC may be entrusted to the Manipur State Population Commission thus empowered and activated, he said.
Prof Narendra said that census and NRC are different.
Personal details are collected during the census exercise too but the report reflects only population figures.
Other details will not be available to the public, he said.
Names, addresses and other personal details will be collected in the process of updating NRC.
There are separate forms and formats for NRC and NRC cannot be updated based on census data, he said.
Prof Narendra said that there are reports of compiling a National Register of Citizens (NRC) in tiie country for the first time in 1951 .
Administrative reports of the time mentioned about compiling an NRC.
in Assam.
At that time, Assam, Manipur and Tripura were clubbed together in matters of NRC and census, while Bengal and Sikkim were clubbed together.
There are reports of a certain amount sanctioned for NRC in Manipur and of separate forms issued for the same.
"I'm not saying NRC was compiled or updated in Manipur.
I'm only saying there are reports written in a manner as if NRC was done in the State", Prof RK Narendra said.
The latest updation of NRC in Assam was done based on the records of 1951 but 1971 was adopted as the base year, he said.
If no report is available about compiling or updating NRC in Manipur, the question of which documents can be used as the basis for updating the NRC in Manipur will be determined by availability or unavailability of reliable documents, he added.
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